I was recently asked a very existential question by my fiancé: what is the one thing that you loved as a child that brings you joy still today as an adult. It did not take a lot of thought: it is baseball. All of it - playing it in Little League and in pickup games with our neighborhood kids, watching it, going to my kids’ games, the privilege of watching with my late father, the memories of playing catch with him, playing wiffle ball with my brothers and then with my kids, getting to go to more games now than I ever dreamed I’d be able to, at Fenway Park no less - all of it. I love football and basketball too but baseball hits a totally different way than those sports. And always will, I suspect.
I think it says a little about the both of us that I burst into tears during the middle of your “I remember” paragraphs. I get further and further from my baseball seasons every year, and many important details become fuzzier, murkier, hazier under the weight of time, but I still remember lining a curveball over shortstop, my stupidity getting picked off third base, the swell of confidence when my coach called me a leader in our postgame circle. These memories are precious gems embedded in all that fogged up glass. The baseball ones shine through.
Thanks for stirring up some good thoughts today. I hope your son’s season is dense with “I remember”s.
I always get a kick out of reading your stuff, in part because you and I are almost the exact same age and it seems like we had a very similar story growing up. I played for my high school baseball team in a rural area and was the kid who loved movies and was the editor of the school newspaper while most of my teammates were more of the drinking, trucks, and country music type. I don’t know how I survived, but many funny memories of certain conversations and events.
I’m now the head coach of my son’s middle school JV baseball team. I am just a volunteer, not a teacher and definitely not paid, but I love it mainly because I enjoy being around the kids and helping to orchestrate their baseball journey. Truthfully, I spend more time thinking about and at times anguishing over this coaching gig than my actual job. Couldn’t fall asleep last night because we have practice today and I was trying to remember which way a runner on 2nd should break if the ball is hit to their left vs right.
All this to say, I enjoy the work that you do. Thanks for writing.
One of the things playing baseball really helped me with, as it seems for you as well, was not turning those sort of the "drinking, trucks and country music" into some sort of adversaries. They're just people who have different life experiences than me ... like everybody. (Though their music is objectively worse. There really isn't much worse than pop country.)
"Truthfully, I spend more time thinking about and at times anguishing over this coaching gig than my actual job" -- 100%! Whether reading rules for each tournament, experimenting with lineup construction, or replaying certain interactions and how I should have handled them differently...I let being a volunteer assistant coach take up ridiculous amounts of time, energy, and focus. And I wouldn't trade it for anything. (Well, except for that one moment now [checks notes] 8 years ago...)
"Baseball, Will. The one constant through all the years, Will, has been baseball... this game--it's a part of our past, Will. It reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again." Logically, I know that's sentimental nonsense. And yet, somehow, someway, mystically, magically, it is also gotdamn right.
Either that or I'm just an old fool who loves a game more than is reasonable. I, too, can recall specific at bats and plays from my high school days. But, nearly a year after my son graduated high school, I am more like to find myself suddenly remembering some of his ABs and top moments. His senior year didn't go the way we'd all hoped, but there were important lessons in that as well. I promise, in my day job as a pastor I regularly dismantle sentimentality and nostalgia in myself and our congregation. But when it comes to baseball? It seems I'm every bit of a 53 year old sap.
As always, Will, thank you. Your writing consistently moves me.
This gave me a very good cry. The kind that makes me forget about the things that don’t really matter, and makes me want to FaceTime my kids right away. I’m going through a divorce right now and not seeing them much. I feel like I’m missing incredibly large parts of their stories right now. But I know my job going forward is to make sure all of my appearances in their lives going forward will be ones filled with love, encouragement, and as much joy as possible. That’s what I want them to remember. Thank you for sharing your feelings, perspective, and family with us.
My younger son turned 13 this week. He's beginning middle school baseball, as well. Last night, he was at basketball tryouts for a tournament team the spring and summer. He's not the best athlete. Not the tallest or fastest. But he probably loves sports the most. He's the one that knows all of the plays. Tells players where to be. Plays hard. He stopped an all star game, last summer, playing shortstop and tried to explain the infield fly rule to the umpire.
I coached him (and his older brother) for many, many years in youth baseball. I miss those days tremendously. Practices, games, group meals afterwards. I realize that something is ending and that's as it should be but it's tough.
Thank you, Will, for sharing your life with all of us.
Highly recommend “Becoming Led Zeppelin,” by the way. My only criticism is that, while it does a superb job of showing how the stars aligned leading to the creation and early trajectory of the band, it then stops! I guess I now want a sequel called “Being Led Zeppelin” so I can learn more about the development of their later works.
My kids were in their high school marching band, and the highlight of their high school performances, for me, had to be when I was watching them and they unbelievably started to play “Kashmir.” A+ for the band director for even picking it with the crazy time signatures but A+++ for the kids for playing it while marching around a football field!
I have lots on my mind now, but two things. David Brooks has suggested we need some kind of mandatory national service. I can’t get it out of my head now that, given where we are as a society, spending two years in some kind of service alongside … everyone … at age 18 or whatever might be one of the things to teach us to see one another differently.
Or it can be baseball. Or musical theater. Mandatory national musical theater can’t be that bad?
And my Zep phase never ended. 56 and I still get a kick in the pants from Physical Graffiti.
No I get it. We’re not close to being able to hang out in supermarkets together. You and Brooks described the core concept — getting people of different backgrounds to come together to solve a problem or get to a goal. Sigh.
Yes! Kevin was going to play two sports at Illinois but then came back to Mattoon. I think he made the right choice for him: He seems much happier being away from it. He is a very, very good dude. (And a huge Cardinals fan.)
Another great piece. The Knicks really got exposed last night, but to be fair, this Cavs team is something special right now. A couple of scary moments with Allen and Garland as the injury bug hasn’t hit the best players. As long as the remain healthy, the Cavs should coast to the ECF. Boston will be tough to beat.
I was recently asked a very existential question by my fiancé: what is the one thing that you loved as a child that brings you joy still today as an adult. It did not take a lot of thought: it is baseball. All of it - playing it in Little League and in pickup games with our neighborhood kids, watching it, going to my kids’ games, the privilege of watching with my late father, the memories of playing catch with him, playing wiffle ball with my brothers and then with my kids, getting to go to more games now than I ever dreamed I’d be able to, at Fenway Park no less - all of it. I love football and basketball too but baseball hits a totally different way than those sports. And always will, I suspect.
Superb column, as always - thank you.
I think it says a little about the both of us that I burst into tears during the middle of your “I remember” paragraphs. I get further and further from my baseball seasons every year, and many important details become fuzzier, murkier, hazier under the weight of time, but I still remember lining a curveball over shortstop, my stupidity getting picked off third base, the swell of confidence when my coach called me a leader in our postgame circle. These memories are precious gems embedded in all that fogged up glass. The baseball ones shine through.
Thanks for stirring up some good thoughts today. I hope your son’s season is dense with “I remember”s.
Thanks ... and I hope I can at least cameo in some of the memories!
I always get a kick out of reading your stuff, in part because you and I are almost the exact same age and it seems like we had a very similar story growing up. I played for my high school baseball team in a rural area and was the kid who loved movies and was the editor of the school newspaper while most of my teammates were more of the drinking, trucks, and country music type. I don’t know how I survived, but many funny memories of certain conversations and events.
I’m now the head coach of my son’s middle school JV baseball team. I am just a volunteer, not a teacher and definitely not paid, but I love it mainly because I enjoy being around the kids and helping to orchestrate their baseball journey. Truthfully, I spend more time thinking about and at times anguishing over this coaching gig than my actual job. Couldn’t fall asleep last night because we have practice today and I was trying to remember which way a runner on 2nd should break if the ball is hit to their left vs right.
All this to say, I enjoy the work that you do. Thanks for writing.
One of the things playing baseball really helped me with, as it seems for you as well, was not turning those sort of the "drinking, trucks and country music" into some sort of adversaries. They're just people who have different life experiences than me ... like everybody. (Though their music is objectively worse. There really isn't much worse than pop country.)
"Truthfully, I spend more time thinking about and at times anguishing over this coaching gig than my actual job" -- 100%! Whether reading rules for each tournament, experimenting with lineup construction, or replaying certain interactions and how I should have handled them differently...I let being a volunteer assistant coach take up ridiculous amounts of time, energy, and focus. And I wouldn't trade it for anything. (Well, except for that one moment now [checks notes] 8 years ago...)
This was one of the reasons I had to stop!
"Baseball, Will. The one constant through all the years, Will, has been baseball... this game--it's a part of our past, Will. It reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again." Logically, I know that's sentimental nonsense. And yet, somehow, someway, mystically, magically, it is also gotdamn right.
Either that or I'm just an old fool who loves a game more than is reasonable. I, too, can recall specific at bats and plays from my high school days. But, nearly a year after my son graduated high school, I am more like to find myself suddenly remembering some of his ABs and top moments. His senior year didn't go the way we'd all hoped, but there were important lessons in that as well. I promise, in my day job as a pastor I regularly dismantle sentimentality and nostalgia in myself and our congregation. But when it comes to baseball? It seems I'm every bit of a 53 year old sap.
As always, Will, thank you. Your writing consistently moves me.
This gave me a very good cry. The kind that makes me forget about the things that don’t really matter, and makes me want to FaceTime my kids right away. I’m going through a divorce right now and not seeing them much. I feel like I’m missing incredibly large parts of their stories right now. But I know my job going forward is to make sure all of my appearances in their lives going forward will be ones filled with love, encouragement, and as much joy as possible. That’s what I want them to remember. Thank you for sharing your feelings, perspective, and family with us.
I'm sorry you're going through that. But you seem to be looking at things from the exact right perspective. Hang in there ...
Makes me think about the great book by Chris Ballard, One Shot At Forever.
Going to see Becoming Led Zeppelin this afternoon!
Good stuff. I remember 2nd hour study hall, Junior year. Didn't do much studying. LOL
Wow. Just, wow, Will. This one struck a chord.
My younger son turned 13 this week. He's beginning middle school baseball, as well. Last night, he was at basketball tryouts for a tournament team the spring and summer. He's not the best athlete. Not the tallest or fastest. But he probably loves sports the most. He's the one that knows all of the plays. Tells players where to be. Plays hard. He stopped an all star game, last summer, playing shortstop and tried to explain the infield fly rule to the umpire.
I coached him (and his older brother) for many, many years in youth baseball. I miss those days tremendously. Practices, games, group meals afterwards. I realize that something is ending and that's as it should be but it's tough.
Thank you, Will, for sharing your life with all of us.
Thank you, for sharing this. (I saw my son explain the infield fly rule to an ump once too!)
Thank you, too. What a wonderful share.
Highly recommend “Becoming Led Zeppelin,” by the way. My only criticism is that, while it does a superb job of showing how the stars aligned leading to the creation and early trajectory of the band, it then stops! I guess I now want a sequel called “Being Led Zeppelin” so I can learn more about the development of their later works.
My kids were in their high school marching band, and the highlight of their high school performances, for me, had to be when I was watching them and they unbelievably started to play “Kashmir.” A+ for the band director for even picking it with the crazy time signatures but A+++ for the kids for playing it while marching around a football field!
I wanted to see this, but it was in theaters for, like, a week!
I have lots on my mind now, but two things. David Brooks has suggested we need some kind of mandatory national service. I can’t get it out of my head now that, given where we are as a society, spending two years in some kind of service alongside … everyone … at age 18 or whatever might be one of the things to teach us to see one another differently.
Or it can be baseball. Or musical theater. Mandatory national musical theater can’t be that bad?
And my Zep phase never ended. 56 and I still get a kick in the pants from Physical Graffiti.
I understand this idea, and agree with it ... but man, we seem so, so far from something like that happening ...
No I get it. We’re not close to being able to hang out in supermarkets together. You and Brooks described the core concept — getting people of different backgrounds to come together to solve a problem or get to a goal. Sigh.
Ramble On is, without a doubt, my favorite Led Zepplin song that’s about Lord of the Rings
My favorite too!
My Zeppelin Phase was 1992-1995. Fucking great letter, Will.
Thanks! I'm pretty excited about that show, seriously!
Great newsletter this week! You really start my weekend off right - thank you.
Thanks, especially, for curating articles for us. I can always trust you want us to be informed AND not jaded in our outlook.
I understand not wanting to be overwhelmed by everything, and taking a break. But there's some very helpful stuff out there.
Fire.
I look forward to this post every week and this did not disappoint. Thank you! If I remember correctly Kevin Trimble was a stud athlete for Mattoon?
Yes! Kevin was going to play two sports at Illinois but then came back to Mattoon. I think he made the right choice for him: He seems much happier being away from it. He is a very, very good dude. (And a huge Cardinals fan.)
Another great piece. The Knicks really got exposed last night, but to be fair, this Cavs team is something special right now. A couple of scary moments with Allen and Garland as the injury bug hasn’t hit the best players. As long as the remain healthy, the Cavs should coast to the ECF. Boston will be tough to beat.
I'm still not fretting too much about the Knicks. It's February! We'll forget all this by mid-April ....